a new home

I am retiring this blog. I just felt like it was time for an updated look and feel to my blog. My style has changed and my new blog just feels more "me".
I hope you enjoy it! New Link: http://www.kellyalexandrawilliams.blogspot.com

Oh Canada

I can't tell you how happy I am that I wasn't one of those "get me outta town before all the people arrive" kind of vancouverites. The 2010 Winter Olympics were the most amazing weeks I've ever spent in this city. From the little moments, like helping tourists find their way around our sun soaked city, to giant moments, like listening to the nation explode when Crosby found the net.......here's a quick rundown of some of my favourite memories of the 2010 Winter Olympics:

Joannie Rochette. Her ability to put forward a bronze winning free skate days after losing her mother made me weep, not for her loss, but for her resilience.

The Olympic Torch. Shortly after I found parking, the torch had already passed me by. In ridiculous high heeled shoes, I raced down steep White Rock streets for blocks on end and made it to Marine Drive, just in time. I found a spot in the sea of red-dressed locals and cheered at the top of my lungs as the torch lit up the darkened early morning streets.

Our Olympic event. The only tickets we had were for a Finland/Belarus men's hockey game. It's noon on a weekday, we've got our beers in hand and the arena is packed to the rafters with Finnish and Belarusian fans waving flags - it was electric. The ironic thing is that when we bought the tickets, months before the Olympics had begun, we had no idea that Smiley would have to do a 3 week work stint in Belarus. Merely days before our event, Smiley returned and had a new fellowship with Belarusians, which made the occasion even more momentous.

Alexandre Bilodeau. Everyone knew it would happen. Eventually we would win a gold medal on Canadian soil. But little did I know, the first event that I got to sit down to watch, would be of such historic measure. The Men's Moguls made us believe with Alexandre the great.

Canadians. I have never seen so many citizens flashing their pride. Everywhere you turned you'd see red, white and proud. Canada was written everywhere -on t-shirts, mittens, toques and tattoos. People ran through the streets wearing our flag for a cape. Line-ups for the Bay's Olympic store ran longer than beer gardens. The word was out. It was hip to be Canadian.

Our Atheletes. 26 Medals (14 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze). Impressive. But when you see the performances behind the numbers: Kevin Martin, John Montgomery, Virtue and Moir, Clara Hughes to name a few - you remember where you were and just how loud you screamed.

Friends/Family: Nothing is more fun than sharing the Olympic events with friends & family. Whether we were at a pub, a friend's house, a free outdoor concert, or among thousands of people on Robson street cheering at a jumbo screen, it was the best entertainment ticket in town. You were always at the right place at the right time.

The Game. It's funny because I had said that it didn't matter what the outcome was. We kicked ass at the olympics and truly bonded as a nation. I didn't want one final hockey match-up to define our success at these games. We had shown the world our strength in so many arenas: curling, speed skating, skeleton, ice dancing, bobsledding. We had spent weeks in a swell of Canadian pride. But when the game started I couldn't sit down. When Zach Parise scored in the last minute of the third period he silenced a nation. I don't think I took a breath in the overtime period. I literally ran on the spot. And here I was telling everyone at the beginning of the game that it doesn't matter about the outcome. Doesn't matter my ass. When Crosby pushed through a wall of US players, and Iginla passed him the puck from the corner, Crosby found a home for that puck. The 80% of Canadians glued to the game all erupted at once. The sound was simply awesome. We celebrated as a nation - everyone unified.

Happy New Year!

2010 has a nice ring to it. It has 5 rings to it if you live in our beautiful city of Vancouver. I'm excited to see what the new year will bring. Always topping the list is that the year brings great health and happiness to all I know and love. And now, more than ever, I want this to be the year of adventure.
Here's my mini list of resolutions for 2010:
-be true to myself-let happiness guide me
-go on an adventurous/active holiday to somewhere I've never been before
-be a conscious consumer - remember to buy local, use cloth bags and support small businesses, take any steps I can to reduce my carbon footprint
-get in great shape - keep up with yoga/running/spinning
-improve my photo skills-take another photo class
-spend a lot of time with friends/family
-read a book a month
-find some great new dining spots
-explore BC's great outdoors by trying new hikes/new paddling spots/new weekend getaways
-do what I can to kick shyness to the curb

Basically the overall goal is to make the year count. As we all know, it's not the years in our life that counts, it's the life we put in our years.

Top 10 photos of 2009

Here's a little sample of my favourite photos of the year. In 2009 my love affair with photography exploded. I am happiest when my camera is in my hands because it means i'm feeling inspired and living in the moment. For various reasons these images capture great memories for me. I hope you enjoy them too.

top 10 pix of the year

First Model Photo Shoot

back to basics

Less is more. I'm not sure if it's recession fallout or simply part of aging, but I find myself gravitating towards all that is pure and simple. Maybe it's backlash from the media's obsessive elevation of society's drain hair to "superstar" status for doing nothing: John and Kate plus hate, Loser Lohan, the "real" housewives of H.O. Why is superficial drama the new reality?
I'm on a back-to -basics pilgrimage (without the bottled holy water): Shopping at local farms, cooking with fresh ingredients, themed pot lucks with friends, drinking wine by the fire (even if it's electric), watching bands perform (who actually write their own music), riding bikes like kids (fast and frenzied), running (somewhat fast?), digging in the garden, yoga, great books, photographing everything, movies and shows with refreshingly original writing, travelling (near and far), a great cup of joe, laughing with friends (not via a texted LOL) - pure, organic moments. Is this a midlife crisis (without the supercool car?)

pat & matt

a few more favourite photos from this year...

the return of the blog

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I've updated this blog. I'm excited to start it up again. I've missed writing. For the past year, writing has definitely taken a backseat to photography. I've just fallen head over heels in love with photography. Thanks to digital cameras, photography is such an accessible and instant art form. These are some of my favourite images from the past year. I just love the character in these faces, and love these characters.